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Dear Editor,
The attached letter was sent to Saba Educational Foundation Board on Thursday, August 14, 2014, and up to now we haven’t received a response from the school board.
I went to the school this morning and found out that the new teachers are not in school today, only the Care Coordinator and principal were present. There was also an open house scheduled today from 12:00 – 1:00 pm. Where is the transparency and communication that was promised from the school board? Where are all the new teachers that were supposed to be here?
August 14, 2014
Saba Educational Foundation Board
Sent via email
Dear Board Members:
When The Saba Educational Foundation Board met with the parents on the 14th of July 2014, the board announced that all teaching positions with the exception of Dutch, including the new director and Care Coordinator’s positions, were filled for the upcoming school year 2014-2015.
Please CONFIRM that all positions including Dutch are filled.
The Board also announced in the same meeting that all teachers and the new director would be on island by Monday, the 11th of August 2014, guaranteed. Is this still the case that all TEACHERS, DIRECTOR and CARE COORDINATOR are on the island to begin teaching on Monday, August 18th, 2014???
The parents want to know the following information:
1. The names of the new teachers by subject, the name of the new director and the name of the new Care Coordinator.
2. Are the teachers and director familiar with the CXC program? We want this information by teacher.
3. When will the school have a parent – teacher open house?
Since the new school year is about to begin on Monday, August 18th, 2014 we want a response from The Board no later than Friday, August 15, 2014, at 3 pm.
Sincerely,
Christalle Klaber
On Behalf of the Saba Parents Association
A few hours ago, the Saba Government published a press release on the occasion of the first school day. In this message Rolando Wilson gave the impression that all was well in both schools.
No new teachers are at the comprehensive school but they promised they would be here on the island a week ago. Hmmmm they lied period and action should be taken against them legally. This is our kids education and without the teaching staff our kids can’t learn. The new principal is not starting off very well
I’d like to know what Mr Hemmie has to say about all this confusion as this never happen when he ran things
Has someone done the actual math of how long it takes a local business to get the proper permits for someone to work here? As a business person let me tell you the process can take months and if you are looking for permits for persons from certain islands it can be even longer. Unless immigration has a faster way for the school board to proceed I would assume that all businesses whether public or private are treated the same????? If not then we have even bigger problems with not only the school board but with the immigration system.
If my child does not have the right teachers for months I will sue all three of them
The school board has had since the end of April to replace and hire teachers. Let’s ‘pass the buck’ on to immigration now.. ??
They made a promise that was not kept. Period.
Actually the school board sent out a letter of request to all teachers before all this happened asking them their intentions for the coming school year. All teachers indicated that they wanted to return and none of them were looking for a job since they assumed that they would have one since the ‘BOARD’ wanted to know if they would stay to guarantee continuity in the education process. It would seem that shortly thereafter the illustrious board decided who had to go in the school.
Saba, you had a team that was working together and making progress….now it would seem one of the team leaders and sister to a board member has visions of ‘leading SCS into a different direction’…..The only direction I can see at the moment is all downhill….you broke a working school which was making progress and had all faculty and staff working together. The Board and their one team leader just did not want certain teachers who would stand up and question and challenge their inane actions.
BTW: They did not interview for positions until the last week of school and did not offer positions until just after school was out. So much for planning a smooth transition….also several interested people turned them down in the process. Wonder WHY???? Now they say that they can have work permits all done and ready by next week and that all teachers will be here? It may be true and only time will tell just how this Board will perform. They have already broken their promises to the parents. A day late and several hundred dollars short. (Think of the cost of bringing in all those new teachers)
Good luck to the new ‘Director’ who has never been a director and by the way has no international school or CXC experience and can’t even seem to make up a working school schedule. It is the kids and the teachers who will suffer through this debacle.
As far as I’ve been informed all 7! new teachers on Statia were there in time.
Thank you Renee, A light in some darkness. The fact is that the board just lied to each and everyone. They promised this and that and at the end it are the students who really have to suffer because there are no teachers. But you know what, we put them in different classes so that it looks as if they have school, we will not send them home. This is the ultimate coverup of not knowing what to do with your students. Mr. Anton Hermans please take my advise and send them home. Your school is not a babysitter institute that is located in the Bottom. You are running a professional secondary school and if you do not have teachers to teach them, sorry to say, that is not your problem. That was created by the four bitches (I include Nadine here) who are now trying to tell you how to run the school. Don’t let anyone manipulate you and act as a professional educator. They can not hold you responsible for their mistakes. Send these kids home because there is no teacher and let the parents experience how in-proficient our so called professional micro managers are. I hope you have a great year with these wonderful teachers since they ARE THE BACKBONE OF THE SCHOOL and not the board, nor you.
Dear Franklin,
You do not know me and I do not know you. But what i know is that you don’t see the extended message in this visit by Island Council Chairperson Rolando Wilson. Mr. Wilson is chair of the island council Saba. When requested for hel, he and his council hide behind books and regulations apposed by the Dutch. But, be honest it looks good when he shows his face on the first day of school, knowing that the SCS is in crumbles but just pretend that nothing is going on, tomorrow is a next day with new opportunities. Mr. Wilson, you should know better than any other parent that education is not up for grasp but hat you actually have that one time occasion to succeed and to move forward, unless off course you have financial backup..
Unfortunately not everyone has that luxury. So this show up was to me more like a political jump than areal jump in helping education. When will we all together with the entire IC jump into education and move this island forward? Please let me know because I am the first one to jump, holding hands with you guys.